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Isa Soares Tonight

Hostage Families Receive Signs of Life from Love Ones; Israeli Strikes Kill Dozens in Central Gaza; Turkey in Close Dialogue with Syrian Leadership; Arab and Turkish Officials Visits Damascus; Blake Lively Accuses Co-Star Justin Baldoni. House Panel Releases Report on Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Matt Gaetz; Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty to New York State Charges in the Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO; U.S. Diplomats Arrive in Damascus to Meet Syrian Leaders Who Toppled Assad's Regime. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired December 23, 2024 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: Hello, everyone, welcome to the show, I'm Bianna Golodryga in for Isa Soares. Tonight, a damning report

into former Congressman Matt Gaetz. The House Ethics Committee says Donald Trump's first pick for Attorney General paid tens of thousands of dollars

for sex and drugs. We'll give you the details.

Plus, Luigi Mangione appears in court. The man accused of fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare CEO pleads not guilty to murder and terrorism charges.

And diplomacy in Damascus. Representatives from around the world head to Syria as the country looks towards a new future.

Now, we begin with a damning report just released by the U.S. House Ethics Committee on Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump's first choice to run the Justice

Department. It finds the former Republican congressman paid for sex and drugs numerous times, including paying a 17-year-old girl for sex in 2017,

in violation of a law against statutory rape.

The report also found substantial evidence that Gaetz improperly accepted gifts while in office. Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for

Attorney General last month. He denies wrongdoing, even suggesting that he may now run for Florida governor or the Senate. Let's get more now from

CNN's Katelyn Polantz who has been covering this story from this morning in Washington.

And, Katelyn, the Ethics report states that Gaetz violated state law and house rules. Obviously, Gaetz's last-minute attempt to block the release

failed. What is he now saying about it aside from saying he may once again run for office?

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME & JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, he's saying that it's false. That the things here that the House finds are not true, and that he

wasn't prosecuted for any crime. That part is true, that he was not prosecuted for any crime. But what the House has done here in this report

is, they've not just summed up the findings that Matt Gaetz engaged in commercial sex or paying for sex with women, allegedly engaged in statutory

rape, which the House believes may be against Florida law.

That's sex with a girl, a woman who was 17-year-old at the time, a girl at the time in 2017 at a party where he was having sex with her twice, and

that also he was using illegal drugs at the time he was a member of Congress. Summing this up, the committee says there are several significant

violations here.

They say the committee determined, there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House rules and other standards of conduct

prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges and obstruction of Congress. The way

that the House committee got to this, and they're showing their work in releasing this report today along with appendices, exhibits, is that they

have interviewed more than a half-dozen witnesses, including the then under-age girl Matt Gaetz had sex with in 2017 at a party.

They're also having text messages and they're tracing the payments. Often times, these women are telling the committee, they say that the women knew

that they were being paid with the expectation that they would have sex with Matt Gaetz or that they were being paid for drugs that they were

bringing to his rendezvous.

And one of the things that they pointed out is that aside from this situation with this underage girl, where he's having sex with her at a

party, there's also a woman who was paid more than $5,000 in total, and also women who were of age, who were adults going on a trip with him --

GOLODRYGA: Yes --

POLANTZ: To the Bahamas. And that trip was something where there was an expectation that they were going with him to have sex with him. So, quite a

damning set of findings here. Gaetz is denying it and is going to the court for relief, but the likelihood of that happening in any way is very slim to

none. The court is already saying, is this even something you can do right now? It appears to be moot since the House has already released their

findings.

GOLODRYGA: And now, it's all but official. But these are charges and allegations that have been out there for months now. And at one point,

there was speculation as to whether he actually would be tried legally. Why did that never happened?

[14:05:00]

POLANTZ: Well, the Justice Department investigated this, and they investigated violations of federal law. One of the things that the House

Ethics Committee found is that there wasn't a violation of federal sex trafficking, that even if he traveled to, say, the Bahamas with women, that

he was giving money to, and they were expected to have sex with them, they were over the age of consent.

And so, that made it so that he wasn't in violation of any federal sex trafficking laws. The Justice Department did decline to prosecute him. Now,

Gaetz's biggest issue in his -- when he went to court this morning is, he's saying that the House is defaming him. They're invading his privacy by

releasing this report, and this report is essentially damaging his reputation, his professional standing. And he believes this is severe and

irreversible reputational damage.

We'll have to see where it goes from here, though, given that he's now no longer a sitting member of Congress, but he is on a right-wing news

network.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, but we should note that all of these allegations transpired when he was a sitting member of Congress. Katelyn Polantz, great

to have you on, thank you so much. Well, with just a few weeks of his presidency to go, Joe Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 death-row

inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

It's a decision that leaves only three federal prisoners, whose crimes included mass shootings or acts of terrorism awaiting execution. And it

comes as President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment reclaims the White House next month. Our M.J. Lee has

more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIN JUNG LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In one of his last major acts as President, President Biden is using his presidential

clemency power to commute the death sentences of 37 inmates that are currently on federal death row to life in prison without the possibility of

parole.

Now, remember, back in 2020, President Biden campaigned on getting rid of the federal death penalty. And in recent weeks, there had been a swirl of

speculation about whether he might take this kind of action before he leaves office, particularly as he was under a good amount of pressure from

human rights activists and a number of advocacy groups, some of whom have argued that the death penalty tends to disproportionately affect black

people and other people of color.

Now, President Biden, in his statement announcing these commutations said this. "Make no mistake, I condemn these murderers, but guided by my

conscience and my experience, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In good conscience,

I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted."

That last reference there to a new administration resuming executions I halted. That, obviously is a reference to incoming President Donald Trump.

Keep in mind that during his first term in office, there were 13 federal death row inmates who were put to death, and in his most recent

presidential campaign, Trump has made very clear that he is set on moving forward with additional federal executions once he returns to office. This

is a little bit of what Donald Trump has said over the last year on this issue.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I'm hereby calling for the death penalty for any migrant that kills an American citizen or a

law enforcement officer.

(CHEERS)

(APPLAUSE)

We are an institute and a powerful death penalty, we will put this on. We have to bring in the death penalty if we want to stop the infestation of

drugs coming into our country.

LEE: Now, after today's announcement of clemency from President Biden, there are still three people who will remain on federal death row. Some of

these people really responsible for really atrocious mass killings and acts of terrorism, they are the murderer who killed nine black worshipers at a

Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

One of the brothers of the Boston Marathon bombing, and then also Robert Bowers, the man who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in

Pittsburgh in 2018. I should finally note that President Biden, who is a devout Catholic, says he will be traveling back to Italy to meet with Pope

Francis.

Of course, the pontiff is one of -- one of those people who has publicly said that he would like to see the commutations of those on federal death

row here in the United States. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to M.J. Lee for that report. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump held his first big rally-like speech over the weekend, the

first since his re-election. And some of his comments are causing concern among foreign allies. First, Trump suggested that if Panama doesn't reduce

its fees to use the canal there, that the U.S. might retake it.

[14:10:00]

Then he floated the idea of buying Greenland. Again, it is not the first time he has broached the idea of the U.S. purchasing the autonomous Danish

territory. But Greenland's Prime Minister is making it clear that the island nation is not for sale. Trump also addressed criticism of tech

billionaire Elon Musk's growing influence as Steve Contorno reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER (on camera): Speaking from Arizona on Sunday, Donald Trump delivered what his campaign called a rally-style speech in

front of a friendly conservative audience, his first since winning election last month. And it was certainly reminiscent of many of the campaign

speeches that he delivered over the past two years, with a heavy focus on immigration and his plans for the U.S.-Mexico border.

He did, however, tread some new ground, saying that he was open to allowing TikTok, the Chinese social media company, to continue to operate in the

United States. He also considered taking back control of the Panama Canal, and suggested that he would meet early in his term with Russian President

Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war.

He also pushed back against Democrats' criticism that he has allowed billionaire Elon Musk to become the de facto leader of his party and the

country. Take a listen to what he said.

TRUMP: They're on a new kick, Russia, Ukraine, all the different hoaxes. The new one is President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk. No,

that's not happening. No, he's not going to be President, that I can tell you. And I'm safe. You know why he can't be? He wasn't born in this

country.

CONTORNO: During his remarks on Saturday, Donald Trump also signaled a show of support for many of his controversial picks for his incoming

administration. He stood by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his plan to, quote, make America healthy again. He also gave a show of support for Pete

Hegseth, his pick to lead the Pentagon as Defense Secretary as well as Tulsi Gabbard, his choice for director of National Intelligence.

TRUMP: But to get wokeness out of our military and restore the unquestioned strength and fighting spirit of the American Armed Forces, I

have appointed Pete Hegseth to be our next Secretary of Defense.

(CHEERS)

TRUMP: He's going to be great. To make our Intelligence community respected even more, I don't even think the word even is right, because we

had some bad years with these people. But I've nominated Tulsi Gabbard as our director of National Intelligence.

CONTORNO: One thing Trump did not mention, the chaotic end to Congress' 2024 session, where Trump nearly caused a government shutdown with his 11th

hour demands to push off a debt-ceiling vote beyond 2024. Many of Trump's allies. Also speaking at the conference, threatened Republicans that if

they continue to stand in his way, they could find themselves with primary challenges. Steve Contorno, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Stephen Collinson is with me once again. I'm lucky to be able to talk to you twice in one day, Stephen, and for those that may not have

caught our previous conversation in the noon hour, we were talking about the role of Elon Musk here as a confidant of Donald Trump's, an adviser who

will be overseeing DOGE in the coming months as well.

And whether or not the two were headed for an inevitable collision in terms of maybe Elon Musk wielding too much power or stealing Donald Trump's

thunder. On the one hand, the fact that Donald Trump even raised the idea, suggests that its top of mind for him. The other is that Elon Musk, thus

far at least, has proven to be a useful ally, specifically when it comes to dangling threats to others that may be challenging him within the party in

terms of primaries. What is your take?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: That's right. And I think there are many people in Washington who believe -- who have watched Trump

for eight years or more, that eventually this relationship is going to break up because almost every political and even personal relationship that

Donald Trump has ends up breaking up when something goes wrong.

Trump looks for someone to blame other than himself, and Musk could find himself in that position as many other prominent confidants of Trump have

found themselves. That said, I think there are big incentives for both of them not to allow that to happen. Musk gets the inside track into the

government, we were talking before about, he will have the capacity to gut regulations in this new DOGE department that could really benefit his

businesses.

[14:15:00]

He seems to be -- to like hanging around Trump to get the reflected power. From Trump's point of view, yes, Musk can be a force multiplier

politically, but he could also do a lot of damage to Trump if he were pushed outside his camp. The tens of millions of dollars that he spent to

elect Trump could be spent for other political candidates.

Republicans, I think, will be relying on more of Musk's largesse in the midterm elections to come in less than two years, as they try to keep

control of the House of Representatives. So, at least in the median term, I think there are a lot of reasons why Trump and Musk could see it

politically smart to stay together, even if they don't spend as much time together as they currently seem to.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, there was one congressman over the weekend from Texas, a Republican, who sort of embracing this relationship and describing Elon

Musk as a sort of Prime Minister to Donald Trump's presidency, perhaps understanding that a Prime Minister is actually somebody who is an elected

official, it's not just some dignitary.

But to some of the other headlines we heard over the weekend from Donald Trump, some of them sounded quite familiar, particularly the idea of

wanting to purchase Greenland. We thought that was done and over with in the first term. And yet, here we're getting a preview of what's to come

perhaps.

The Panama Canal being another issue, Donald Trump saying that despite the fact that there's a decade's long treaty between Panama and the United

States, that he thinks they're being unfairly overcharged. And when it comes down to it, he may very well take control back once again of the

Panama Canal, getting into a Twitter war of sorts with the President of Panama.

Is this just something that maybe somebody mentioned to him right before he spoke, or do you think this is perhaps a preview of some of the diplomacy

we may see in the months to come?

COLLINSON: It probably was something that someone mentioned to him. Trump does have these recurring obsessions, Greenland being one of them. He also

talked jokingly, obviously, about Canada becoming the 51st state, but often with Trump, a joke is not truly a joke. It's a way of exerting pressure and

bargaining. I think a lot of it comes from Trump's vision of almost every dispute in the world as a business deal, almost like a real estate dispute.

He's talked about Gaza, for example, he once said that Gaza could look as great as Monaco, and it wouldn't be very easy to -- it wouldn't be very

hard to fix the situation there, which is kind of absurd. One thing where I think this is very interesting, though, is it's almost like a 19th century

colonial mindset that Trump has, that big countries should be able to lean on small countries or influence them, or even buy a little bit off.

From where that's really interesting is in the context of Ukraine, because that's exactly what Vladimir Putin has done in Ukraine. And Trump is saying

and he said this weekend that he plans to try and fix that situation, to end the war and get together with Vladimir Putin. So, if that's the way he

sees things, that tells us a lot about the kind of solution that he might be envisioning for Ukraine.

And that could be bad news for Ukraine, because it would potentially involve validating Putin's desire to invade and taking all of that

territory.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, it's an interesting way to extrapolate his views, perhaps, on sovereign nations, right? And Vladimir Putin's illegal war larger scale

in 2022, attacking the sovereign nation of Ukraine. He said that he would be hoping to meet or be opened to meet with Putin. Putin, just a few days

ago, at a nationwide press conference said the two hadn't spoken in four years.

But he's also welcome to meet, and then I saw a headline where at least per the Kremlin, there have been numerous offers now in terms of where such a

meeting could take place. I'm just thinking about the stark difference from what we've heard in the Biden administration as it relates to the war, that

no decision would be made without Ukraine at the table. That doesn't appear to be how Donald Trump views this.

COLLINSON: No, and if you go back to his first term, there was a speech that he gave at the U.N. General Assembly which laid out his views and the

America first philosophy view on international relations. And it's that there's not really any multilateralism. Each country should advance its own

interests.

And what that means effectively is that the strong countries can push around the small countries. We've seen this in his relationship with Xi

Jinping of China. He wants to sit down with Xi. It's almost like he wants to sit down with Xi and Putin and other strong leaders and divide up the

spoils of the world in many ways as this.

You know, he's a big multinational company, but in this context of foreign policy, he has met President Zelenskyy, he met him in Paris when he went

over there a few weeks ago.

[14:20:00]

So, it'll be interesting to see how he considers the interests of Ukraine. But there is a great deal of cynicism about Trump's approach here. And

there's a belief among his opponents that the only way that he could end the war quickly is by doing so in terms that would be favorable to the

Kremlin, and may not end the war, but that would just freeze the conflict.

And the fear is then that Vladimir Putin could spend 2 or 3 years restocking his troops, rebuilding, and then make another play for Ukraine

down the road.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, that is indeed the big concern. And Donald Trump has at least been open about one thing. And that is, in his view, the Ukraine war

is going to be much more difficult to solve than the conflict in the Middle East right now. That is pretty telling to hear from the man who said one

day, that he could just fix it as soon as he enters office on day one.

Stephen Collinson, always good to see you. Thank you so much --

COLLINSON: Thanks.

GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us, what German authorities knew about the suspect in last week's Christmas market attack. Plus, the suspect in the

murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO has entered a plea to the state charges he faces in New York. We'll explain after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: Members of Germany's far-right AFD Party have gathered near the site of last week's deadly Christmas market attack. The rally, near the

Magdeburg Cathedral started a short while ago. A wave of anti-immigration anger has erupted after five people were killed and more than 200 injured

when a driver plowed into the market.

The alleged attacker is a Saudi citizen who settled in Germany in 2006. Investigators say he has a history of making troubling social media posts -

- as CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, the German authorities have now acknowledged they did indeed receive a

warning from Saudi Arabia about this individual that is now being held as the suspect in this Christmas market car-ramming. That individual has been

named as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old man, a doctor, a psychiatrist who was originally from Saudi Arabia.

He is anti-Islam. He describes himself as an Islamophobe and has often posted on social media, you know, very aggressive messages against Islam.

He called himself the most aggressive critic of Islam in history. He's been warning repeatedly on social media that Germany is trying to Islamize

Europe, posting conspiracy theories and things like that.

[14:25:00]

You can see the marketplace behind me has still been sealed off with these police cordons everywhere as forensic teams scour through the debris of

that attack, picking up any evidence they can, and of course, while cleaning the streets, to be frank of the blood that has been left on the

pavement as a result of so many casualties.

Meanwhile, that suspect has made his first appearance in a German court with the judge there, placing him in pre-trial detention as this intensive

investigation continues. Matthew Chance, CNN, Magdeburg in eastern Germany.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO has pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges. Twenty six-year-old Luigi

Mangione made an appearance in a New York courtroom earlier. He faces 11 criminal counts in New York, in addition to four federal charges. It's

unusual for federal prosecutors to take on a case like Mangione. His lawyer spoke of her concerns to the judge just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO, ATTORNEY FOR LUIGI MANGIONE: I'm very concerned about my client's right to a fair trial. In this case, he's being

prejudiced by some statements that are being made by government officials. Like every other defendant, he is entitled to a presumption of innocence.

But unfortunately, the way this has been handled so far, his rights are being violated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Mangione faces life in prison if convicted on the state's murder charges. He could receive the death penalty if found guilty on two

of the federal ones. Joining us now, CNN's Kara Scannell. And Kara, the first thing we heard Mangione's attorney, Karen Agnifilo asked for, though,

was an expedited discovery in this case. How did the prosecution respond to that request?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Karen Friedman Agnifilo did ask for all the materials to get -- to get turned over quickly, saying that because

there's both state charges and a federal case, they want to see all the evidence that has been collected. Now, the prosecutor on behalf of the

state today in court, said that the volume of evidence in this case was unlike anything he had seen in his 30 years as a prosecutor.

That's because he said they have thousands of hours of videotape tracking Mangione's movements. As you know from the investigation and what we've

seen and what we've reported, they have tracked Mangione arriving in New York City, going to surveil the Hilton Hotel, where he allegedly shot the

UnitedHealthcare CEO up at the hostel where he had spent the night, and then at the bus stop at one point along the journey.

So, a lot of that evidence, the prosecution says they have, and they said that they will begin to produce it on a rolling basis so that Mangione's

team can look at it. And the judge has decided to set a date for late February of the next time they will be in court, and where they will then

discuss where they are in terms of turning over information.

But the prosecution said that to speed things up, he would suggest that Mangione's attorney give them a hard drive of two terabytes. That kind of

gives you a sense of just the size and the volume of the materials that they've collected, and that will all be turned over to Mangione's team for

their defense.

But in addition to the New York state charges, there's also evidence that was collected in the Pennsylvania case where he's facing Commonwealth

charges there, and then, of course, the federal charges as well. So, a lot of material that his lawyers will get as this proceeds, you know, in state

court, and while there is still this federal court action that will take place on a parallel basis. Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, a reminder, this is a multi-day, multi-state manhunt until they finally did capture him there and find him in Pennsylvania. Thank you

so much, Kara. Good to see you. Well, police in New York have arrested a suspect in connection to a woman who died after being set on fire. It

happened Sunday morning on the subway.

The victim was said to be either sleeping or motionless when the suspect approached her. Police say the suspect sat on a bench on the platform after

setting her blanket on fire and was arrested at another subway station about eight hours after the attack. They identified the suspect as

Sebastian Zapeta Calil, a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. unlawfully sometime in the past six years.

And still to come for us tonight, officials in Gaza say a new Israeli assault has killed dozens of people in a refugee camp, all of them

civilians. We'll have a report from Jerusalem just ahead. Plus, a flurry of diplomatic activity is happening in Damascus as Syria's transitional

government looks to establish itself on the international stage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:00]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Several families of Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas say they have received signs of life from their loved

ones. The news comes as Israel's prime minister says certain progress has been made in negotiations to secure the hostages release.

In remarks to Parliament today, Benjamin Netanyahu also said Hamas is taking blows, while Iran and Hezbollah are licking their wounds. He's

vowing Israel will act against Houthi rebels in Yemen, the same way it did against other Iranian proxies.

Meantime in Gaza, the director of one of the last functioning is making an urgent plea for the world to help before it's too late. He says Kamal Adwan

Hospital is under constant bombardment, accusing Israel of trying to kill or forcibly displace everyone inside. Gaza's health ministry says the IDF

has now placed explosive robots at the hospital's gates. Israel denies the allegation, calling it Hamas propaganda.

And horrific scenes are emerging from Central Gaza after an Israeli military operation in a refugee camp. Authorities say more than 50 people

have been killed or injured, all of them civilians. They say 20 residential units were destroyed. Elliott Gotkine is following all of these

developments tonight from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: From Israel's war and ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, this corner

of the world has been chock-full of dramatic developments of late, so much so that it's easy to forget that more than a year after the Hamas-led

terrorist attacks of October 7th, Israel's war in Gaza continues to rumble on and continues to exact a heavy toll on Palestinians.

In one of the latest incidents, Hamas officials say an Israeli operation in Nuseirat in Central Gaza killed or injured at least 50 civilians. When

ambulance crews were finally able to retrieve bodies, they found cats feeding on them. The video is too graphic to show. The IDF didn't respond

to requests for comment.

In the north of Gaza, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital says it's been under siege for almost three months. He now says Israel has placed

what he describes as explosive robots at the gates of the hospital. On Sunday, the IDF told CNN there had been no strikes in the area in the

preceding 24 hours.

[14:35:00]

Against this backdrop, there's renewed optimism about ceasefire talks aimed at securing the release of the hundred or so hostages still being held

captive in Gaza. Israel believes around a third of the hostages are dead, but according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, several Israeli

families say that they recently received what they describe as signs of life from their loved ones. Any deal, though, would need to be signed off

by Hamas and of course the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Monday, he was in court for his fifth day of testimony in his corruption trial, facing charges which he denies of fraud, breach of trust and

bribery.

Elliott Gotkine, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Turkey's president is voicing his support for Syria's new transitional government. Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that he is in close

dialogue with Syria's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel group that ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad earlier this month.

Now, the comments come off the back of a flurry of diplomatic visits by Arab leaders and Turkish officials to Damascus, including the Jordanian and

Turkish foreign ministers.

Haid Haid is a Syrian columnist. and consulting fellow at Chatham House. Welcome to the program. Good to see you. And sticking with Turkey here, it

is interesting because in addition to Arab diplomats visiting Damascus today, you saw U.S. officials for the first time since the civil war late

last week make a visit as well. The U.S delegation led by Barbara Leaf, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs.

And what was notable in many of her comments, though, was that she said Turkey might play a larger role going forward in supporting Syria, more of

diplomatic language than President-Elect Trump used, which he described Turkey as having an unfriendly takeover of Syria. But nonetheless, also

acknowledging Turkey's role here in Syria's future. Can you just talk about what that role is likely to be?

HAID HAID, CONSULTING FELLOW, CHATHAM HOUSE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA PROGRAMME: Well, at this stage, I think it's still difficult to know the

extent of the role that Turkey will play there, but I think it was they -- there have been different indications that Turkey is trying to sign some

sort of defense agreement with the now transitional body in Syria appointed by HTS.

They have been also trying to most likely secure deals to maybe run the airport, at least contribute to different sectors, including the energy

sector inside Syria. And I think the ability of Turkey to play such a role is not only related to the support they have provided, the opposition

throughout the past decade or so, but also because they have been more active than other actors since the fall of the regime. And they have been

more willing to not only engage, but I think discuss the details of what. be provided by them as well.

GOLODRYGA: One obstacle obviously for HTS in just the last few weeks that we've been focusing on since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad is the fact that

they are still designated a terrorist organization. And we saw movement in terms of changing that status from Barbara Leaf as well, saying that they

no longer -- or they will be removing the bounty, the $10 million bounty, against Al-Sharaa, formerly known as al-Jolani.

But in terms of what the U.S. interests are in the region, first and foremost, it is to make sure ISIS isn't reconstituting. And this is where

things get a bit complicated because, yes, on the one hand, Turkey is a NATO ally. On the other hand, it's quite clear that there may be some

different interests in terms of the U.S. and Turkey, particularly as it relates to the SDF Kurdish forces there that are worried about Turkey,

perhaps even launching an incursion into the territory that they control. How serious of a concern is that? How warranted of a concern is that?

HAID: Well, it's a serious concern because now the only fighting that is currently happening in Syria, apart from the airstrikes carried out by

Israel, is the fighting that is happening between Kurdish-led groups in Northeast Syria and Turkish-backed groups. And Turkey seems to be

determined to continue to push those sort of opposition armed factions inside Syria to continue the push against the SDF until they are fully sort

of defeated.

[14:40:00]

Now, what role could the U.S. do in order to broker some sort of peaceful agreement is still yet to be seen. But I think for the time being, Turkey

seems to be determined to continue with this military option.

Now, when HTS to -- when it comes to HTS and its leader, they have signaled that they're willing to talk to the courts using general sort of terms, but

they have stated that, for example, the SDF will have to sort of give up their arms. And I think that's a big sort of demand from the HTS towards

the SDF and the Kurds because it's something that will not -- the Kurds will not be willing to accept that easily because it's their last sort of

leverage card as well, their only way to defend themselves.

GOLODRYGA: What do you make, lastly, of just what we've seen in terms of the quick evolution of al-Sharaa? We no longer see him in his military

fatigues, he was dressed in a suit in tie. Obviously, he is saying a lot of things that diplomats from around the world find very encouraging. Is this

a surprise to you? Is this someone who you see could know it's going to be rocky for the next foreseeable future, but is this someone who you think

can really unite the country?

HAID: Well, the group and the leader, al-Jolani or al-Sharaa, has been planning for this for years and years. So, it does not come as a surprise

that he is now sort of fully committed to playing that political role. He has been dreaming of this day for four years and years, and this day has

suddenly became reality.

Now, I think that the main issue here is that it's difficult to imagine how group leader who has at least some sort of Islamist agenda will be able to

not only rally minorities from other sort of religious backgrounds, but also, Sunnis who might not be sort of in agreement with the way that the

group wants to rule based on at least the way they ruled or had -- has been ruling Northwest Syria for years now.

And I think that the other issue will be then you still have so many different armed groups who are armed now that HTS is trying to convince

them to become -- merged together under the umbrella of the transitional government appointed by HTS, but it's yet to be seen if the group will be

able to have enough leverage to do so without any sort of use of violence.

GOLODRYGA: Yes, no doubt. We'll be watching. Haid Haid, thank you so much for your time and expertise. Appreciate it.

HAID: Thank you.

GOLODRYGA: Still to come for us tonight, actress Blake Lively is accusing a recent co-star of sexual harassment, saying he also tried to destroy her

reputation. We'll break down all the details ahead.

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GOLODRYGA: Blake Lively has filed a civil rights complaint against "It Ends with Us" co-star and director Justin Baldoni. The actress accuses

Baldoni of sexual harassment, saying that he also tried to destroy her reputation. Lively claims that a meeting was held during filming to address

a hostile work environment she and other crew members experienced, including being shown nude videos of women and inappropriate sexual

comments. A self-proclaimed feminist, Baldoni denies the allegations and accuses Lively's team of planting fabricated stories about him ahead of the

film's premiere.

Let's bring in Elizabeth Wagmeister with more on this. And this really started to steamroll this weekend, Elizabeth, though there was speculation

and quite publicly, it was obvious that there was tension between these two camps when the movie premiered last year. Now, we're getting some more

really damaging details from these allegations from Blake Lively, and we're already seeing that it's having a significant effect on Justin Baldoni's

career and his representatives. What more are we learning?

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right. This has escalated in a major way, Bianna, from rumors of an on-set feud between

two co-stars to very serious allegations of sexual harassment.

As you said, it was clear to anyone who followed this film and was a fan of either of these stars that there was no love lost there. When the movie

came out, Blake Lively and numerous cast members had unfollowed Justin Baldoni, which was the first sign to fans that something was amiss, and

they didn't do any interviews together or walk a red carpet or take a single photo with one another during the promotion of this film.

Now, with Blake Lively's civil rights complaint, she is alleging that she was subjected to an unsafe workplace and subjected to repeated sexual

harassment. You laid out some of her accusations up top there, Bianna, but she says that she was subjected to numerous unwanted sexual comments that

Justin Baldoni spoke about his sex life. And she says that Justin Baldoni and another male producer who was named in this complaint had walked into

her trailer numerous times uninvited while she was undressed or even while she was breastfeeding her newborn.

Now, it's not just allegations of sexual harassment. As you said, Blake Lively and her legal team are also accusing Justin Baldoni and his team of

behind the scenes running a sophisticated and coordinated social media campaign to essentially take her down and ruin her reputation.

This long -- not lawsuit, this long complaint, which by the way, could lead to a lawsuit, Bianna, it includes hundreds of screenshots of text messages

between Baldoni's representatives that are quite damning. Now, his team is denying all of this. They say that it is common practice for publicists and

crisis PR to have these private conversations. In fact, they say the reason why they hired crisis PR is because they believe that Blake Lively's team

was planting negative stories about him.

Now, I want to read you part of a statement that I obtained from Justin Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman. Here's what he tells me. He says,

quote, "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations as yet another desperate

attempt to fix her negative reputation."

Now, Blake Lively, in a statement that we obtained, says, quote, "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister

retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."

[14:50:00]

So, that's really the basis of this entire complaint, Bianna. Blake Lively is saying not only was she subjected to an unsafe workplace, but then when

she spoke up about it and tried to create a safer environment, not just for herself, but for other people on that set, that then she was retaliated

against.

So, much more to come. This is a very, very messy situation. But this past weekend, just really within hours of her complaint becoming publics, Justin

Baldoni was dropped by his agency, WME, which is one of the biggest talent agencies in the entertainment business, and that is the same agency where

Blake Lively is represented as well as her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

GOLODRYGA: Interesting. And given, as we said, the months of speculation about tension between these two camps and not, you know, the love loss

there between either party, it's probably fair to say that not much of this was a surprise in terms of how this ended with their representation, the

two of them being represented by the same agency house, it was clear one of them would have to respond. It is quite stunning and you'll continue to

cover it for us. Thank you so much, Elizabeth.

WAGMEISTER: Thanks, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: And much more still to come. Stick with us.

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GOLODRYGA: Rome's Trevi Fountain is open again after closing for renovations. The iconic monument opened Sunday following three months of

work. Just in time to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Holiday Year -- Holy Year. But hold your horses, if you want to see the fountain for yourself, you'll

now have to book online and pay more than $2 to get a 30-minute slot, of course you will. All in an effort to avoid overcrowding.

Well, Christmas Eve isn't until tomorrow night, but in some parts of the world, Santa Claus made an early appearance. These Santas have swapped out

their sleighs for stand-up paddle boards, ditching the cold North Pole for the sunny Mediterranean coast. Who could blame them?

And who's to say Father Christmas doesn't visit sea creatures? This Santa took a deep dive at an aquarium in Brazil.

And finally, in Croatia. Now, these Santas are delivering presents to this hospital in Zagreb, where these children will be spending the holidays. But

they didn't come in through the chimney, they went straight through the window, giving James Bond a little run for his money. Take a look at those

Santas. It's quite impressive.

[14:55:00]

And with Christmas just around the corner, over 119 million Americans are expected to travel throughout the holidays. Flights across the U.S. look to

be on time, knock wood, with minimal delays impacting travel times. Though some weather systems could complicate travel heading into Monday.

Two storms are forming off the West Coast, threatening to dump rain across the Pacific Northwest and parts of California. Some areas in the Sierra

Mountains and the Southern Cascades could get more than two feet of snow.

The Clipper Storm moving across the Great Lakes is forecast to carry heavy snowfall into the mountains as across New England as well, as thunderstorms

over eastern Texas are expected to worsen.

And finally, a Christmas tradition continues in Germany. Every year, Joseph Gloger strings about 45,000 lights around his home to create an illuminated

nativity scene, which has drawn crowds for more than two decades. How beautiful is that? The display takes about six weeks to set up, and now has

30 figures and new ones are added each year, which Gloger built himself in his own garage. The light show was encouraged by Gloger's wife, who died of

leukemia last year. And the proceeds to go to leukemia and stem cell research. A very good cause indeed.

Well, thank you so much for watching tonight. Stay with CNN. Newsroom with Jim Sciutto is up next.

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